Dealing With Tenant’s Stuff

Being a landlord means dealing with some difficult situations. Not all tenants are perfect, and a lot certainly don’t play by the rules. At some point in a tenancy, a landlord will be left with a house full of ‘stuff’ to deal with. When tenants leave, sometimes they also leave a lot of ‘stuff’ behind.

Then there’s also the issue of tenants leaving with the landlord’s ‘stuff’. It is therefore essential that when a landlord has new tenants moving in that they create a thorough inventory of everything they are leaving in the property, such as fridges, beds or lamps. This is more important than ever now, as in the case of a dispute, the landlord must prove to an arbitrator that any fittings and fixtures were actually theirs. Model numbers, photos and even receipts are a good idea in case the fridge that’s left is not the nice one you installed.

As well as tenants disappearing with the landlord’s lovely fridge, the ‘stuff’ they leave behind can be a real headache for landlord’s too. Unfortunately, they are unlikely to leave behind anything of any worth and it’s most likely going to be trash! Therefore, it’s important to carry out the check out with the tenant present and always check potential hiding places such as lofts, sheds and garages.

Although leaving junk behind is not as bad as having stuff stolen, it can still prove both annoying, time-consuming and frustrating to deal with. It normally involves multiple trips to the landfill or hiring a skip. It shouldn’t be the landlord’s responsibility, but they end up dealing with the problem anyway. For Skip Hire Swansea, visit http://pendragoncarmarthenshire.co.uk/

Can a landlord ever keep a tenant’s property in lieu of payment? It is often assumed by landlords that if a tenant gets into rent arrears or owes money for damage, that they can hold the tenant’s belongings as compensation. However, this is not always the case. There is a law, passed in 1977, which specifically prohibits landlords from doing exactly that. Should a landlord be tempted to hold tenant’s possessions then they could be in for a hefty fine.

The only lawful and correct way for a landlord to obtain rent arrears or other payments is through possession proceedings. Annoyingly for landlords, a tenant who has skipped the property but left things behind, might be deemed by law to still be inhabiting the property. Therefore, in the case of any apparent ‘abandonment’, a landlord must tread very carefully indeed.